


all we found

by DaryanCrescend



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Flux Drabble, M/M, Trickstar are also here a little
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14791917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaryanCrescend/pseuds/DaryanCrescend
Summary: Everything is changing and there’s nothing Natsume can do to stop it





	all we found

**Author's Note:**

> This drabble ties in really heavily to my long fic “flux” so it might not make sense as a stand-alone but it’s been knocking about in my drafts for months.

Not even the most magical person can stop time ticking on, not even the greatest magician in the world, no matter how much he wishes he could.

It had taken some coaxing to get Natsume to actually attend the graduation at all, he watched the whole thing feeling like he was suffocating on the lump in his throat and he doesn’t manage to will himself to stand around afterwards instead flying out the door to safety before anyone can speak to him, before he can cry, but he does anyway, back pressed against the door of the video game club room and a hand clamped tight over his mouth to stifle any noise.

He’s not sure how long he’s sat back against the door, knees to his chest before there’s a knock. He doesn’t want to move and let them in, whoever it is, but he does anyway, anybody who cares enough to come find him is somebody allowed to see him cry.

“Shisho?” Sora asks stepping in, his eyes are red-rimmed and he’s followed by all but one of Trickstar.

Natsume didn’t expect this, he had thought maybe Sora would come alone, or with one of the Oddballs, if they weren’t too busy saying more important goodbyes and it’s overwhelming so more tears fall even though he wishes they wouldn’t. “What are you doing hERE?” He asks, scrubbing his face with his sleeve.

“We’re your friends,” Subaru replies with a frown but it’s Makoto who steps forward and touches his arm.

“We were worried about you,” Hokuto adds, “you left in a hurry.”

Natsume can’t process it, the idea that they noticed him and worried feels so alien. He barely notices that Sora has moved until there’s arms around his waist and a face pressed into his back. “I don’t want to say goodBYE,” Natsume admits reluctantly, “and I didn’t want anyone to see me CRY.”

“Everyone is crying!” Subaru tells him stepping forward and tucking himself against Makoto’s side, “all of Knights and all of Ryusetai and all of Ra*bits were when we left to find you!” 

“And Sora thinks Shisho will regret not saying goodbyes,” Sora mumbles against his back squeezing Natsume tightly.

Sora is right, he usually is and Natsume knows it but it doesn’t make doing it any easier.

“Sakuma-senpai has to get his taxi soon,” Hokuto says looking at his phone.

Natsume wants to curl back up and cry more but his body seems to have different ideas, he finds himself wriggling free from his friends, and it feels weird to see them all as that but they’ve said it now and he hopes they stick to it into the next year.

“I have to GO.” He says and doesn’t wait for a reply before he’s dashing out the door and running through the halls, taking as many shortcuts as he can.

He bursts into the fresh air with burning lungs and protesting legs and there they are, Rei has quite the gathering but as soon as he spots Natsume he steps out of the crowd and opens his arms so Natsume forces his legs to keep moving and carry him all the way into Rei’s embrace. There’s so much he wants to say but he can’t get the words out past the sobs. 

“I’ll write to you all the time,” Rei assures him rubbing circles on his back like he’s soothing a child but for once Natsume doesn’t have it in him to grouse about it.

“You better,” He sniffles, embarrassingly aware that he’s leaving a big wet stain on Rei’s jacket. 

“You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, why wouldn’t I?” Rei replies with a laugh, pulling back and planting a kiss on Natsume’s forehead.

“Promise?” Natsume can’t help himself but he does want to stop doubting that they’ll care after Yumenosaki.

“I promise,” Rei replies solemnly.

“Go,” Natsume says shoving him away before he can start crying again.

Rei nods and glances over at Hasumi and Natsume knows that he’s struggling to say goodbye just as much, and he knows how Rei feels because he’s been avoiding Tsumugi all day because it’s easier than saying goodbye, but he does go over and Natsume finds himself mobbed by the other Oddballs before he has chance to escape.

 

It isn’t until much later, when the sun has gone down but the party is still carrying on inside that the hardest goodbye comes to him and drops down on to the grassy slope he’s sat on.

Natsume doesn’t say anything, he doesn’t know what to say, so he reaches out and takes Tsumugi’s hand instead.

“You know, Sakuma-san warned me not to break your heart before he left,” Tsumugi says quietly, entwining their fingers.

“As if you COULD,” Natsume retorts, even though that isn’t true.

“That’s what I thought,” Tsumugi replies, “I’m not good enough for that.”

It’s infuriating, honestly boils his blood, when Tsumugi talks about himself in that way, and Natsume has slowly grown to accept why that is a little too late. “Who are you to decide THAT?” 

They lapse back into silence until Natsume decides that he clearly isn’t going to get an answer, “What are you going to do NEXT?”

“I told you, get a job, wait for you and Sora-kun to graduate, continue Switch...” Tsumugi tells him. “That’s the dream isn’t it?”

“But what do you WANT?” Natsume sighs.

“I want that, I want to stay with you both and make music and make people smile,” Tsumugi is smiling a little, Natsume can see it out of the corner of his eye.

“But our promise ends today,” Natsume replies quietly, no spells, no deflection, just honesty.

Tsumugi shuffles in closer and nudges him, “you didn’t force me to make it, is that what you thought?”

“NO.” Natsume lies but Tsumugi is looking at him like he can see straight through it.

“I wanted you to forgive me, I wanted to be better than I was, so I kept it, and I thought maybe it was just the promise keeping me there even when you hated me but...” Tsumugi trails off and Natsume wants to know, he needs to, but he can’t ask because his heart is in his mouth. “I’m sorry, I should stop before I say something I shouldn’t.”

There’s a tension in the air and Natsume doesn’t know how to break it, how to slow his own heart down before it escapes his chest, so he squeezes Tsumugi’s hand and whispers; “say it anyway.”

“I know that we’re not like that... what happened between us wasn’t like that... I’m not good enough...” Tsumugi won’t look at him.

“You keep saying that as if it’s your decision to make, it’s not, it’s mine, so TELL ME!” Natsume doesn’t need to hear the words to know what they are, but he needs to hear them to believe it.

Tsumugi rubs the back of his neck with his free hand and stares down the hill instead of looking at Natsume.

Natsume holds his breath.

“I love you.” 

It’s said so quietly that Natsume doesn’t quite catch it, said with all the sincerity of a vow, just like when they made their promise the previous year.

Tsumugi goes to pull his hand away but Natsume clings to it, drags him back and kisses him.

“Does this mean you’re really staying?” Natsume asks breathlessly as they pull apart.

“Until you tell me to go,” Tsumugi says with such sincerity it makes Natsume laugh.

“I love you too.”


End file.
